A large-scale restructuring of government’s secondary education system will be implemented in September 2010, Education Ministry officials in the Cayman Islands have announced. The restructuring includes the introduction of two “all-through” high schools; more opportunities to study technical and vocational subjects; a revamped core curriculum; an additional year of compulsory education; and improved career guidance services. Education Minister Rolston Anglin noted the urgency of separating the much-needed academic improvements in secondary education from the building of the new schools. “There is much that we can do come September 2010 to introduce significant reforms that will benefit our children in our current school sites. Acting now will also ease uncertainties for all stakeholders, and allow for an easy transition once the new schools are completed.”
A major development will be the two “all-through” high schools in Grand Cayman, catering to students from Years 7- 11 (ages 11 to 16). This will replace the current split system of a middle school and a high school. Students will sit their CXC/GCSE examinations at the end of Year 11 from 2010 onwards. This will give students extended opportunities for technical and vocational subjects, while emphasizing core skills and values for all students. The new core curriculum, also set for September 2010, will reflect cultural norms and the need to produce globally competitive citizens. All students will study the current core subjects of English, mathematics and science, but will also study information technology, religious education, and social studies.
Innovative technical subjects available in the schools will include a leisure and tourism option (specially designed and accredited for Caymanian students), as well as catering; music technology; and health and social care. These will be offered in addition to already well-established programs in construction, electrical and electronics and motor vehicles, reflecting a renewed focus on national priorities and the needs of the labor market.
Furthermore, students’ compulsory schooling will not end with external examinations in Year 11. They will continue for an additional year, she said, with the launch of a 16+ mandatory “bridge year” for students, following the completion of their CXC/GCSE examinations.
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Photo: Cayman Islands Debate Society
